Fielden L J, Magano S, Rechav Y
Department of Biology, Medical University of Southern Africa, Medunsa.
J Med Entomol. 1992 Sep;29(5):750-6. doi: 10.1093/jmedent/29.5.750.
A comparative study was made of the life cycle of the tortoise tick, Amblyomma marmoreum Koch, on tortoises and guinea pigs under laboratory conditions. At 25 degrees C and 85% RH with natural day length, duration of off-host stages (preoviposition, oviposition, incubation, and premolt) was similar for ticks fed on both hosts. Delay in preoviposition (up to 90 d) was observed in some gravid females. Larvae, nymphs, and adults had longer feeding periods on tortoises than on guinea pigs. Adult females fed on tortoises had greater engorgement wieght and ovipositional capacity than ticks fed on guinea pigs. It is suggested that the shortened feeding period of immature stages on mammalian hosts together with the occurrence of morphogenic diapause may be more important than previously recognized in determining whether the life cycle of A. marmoreum is completed in 1 or 2 yr under natural conditions.
在实验室条件下，对龟蜱（Amblyomma marmoreum Koch）在乌龟和豚鼠身上的生命周期进行了比较研究。在25摄氏度、相对湿度85%以及自然日长条件下，两种宿主上取食的蜱虫非寄生阶段（产卵前期、产卵期、孵化期和蜕皮前期）的持续时间相似。部分怀孕雌蜱的产卵前期出现延迟（长达90天）。幼虫、若虫和成虫在乌龟上的取食期比在豚鼠上更长。以乌龟为食的成年雌蜱比以豚鼠为食的蜱虫饱食重量更大、产卵能力更强。有观点认为，在自然条件下，未成熟阶段在哺乳动物宿主上缩短的取食期以及形态发生滞育的出现，在决定A. marmoreum的生命周期是在1年还是2年内完成方面，可能比之前认为的更为重要。
